Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
Éric and Patrice have been friends since high school. Over the years, they have both taken very different paths: Éric has become a hedonist, has a string of girlfriends and is always on the look out for a new one; Patrice has become a monogamous father with a very ordered life. After a drunken evening, the two childhood friends find themselves cast back into 1986, when they were 17 years old. This return to the past is a dream opportunity to try to change the path their lives will take. What will they do with this second chance?
Bis is a French comedy that leans heavily on the well-worn time-travel-back-to-youth premise popularized by countless similar films. The plot offers little beyond the standard nostalgia trip and predictable life-lesson arc, with two contrasting personalities learning what truly matters — formulaic by design. The acting from Franck Dubosc and Kad Merad is competent and occasionally charming, elevating the material somewhat through their chemistry. Cinematography is functional at best, with period recreation that feels adequately assembled but unremarkable. Novelty is low — the concept is directly borrowed from familiar templates with a French comedic spin that doesn't distinguish itself meaningfully. The ending resolves exactly as expected, with both characters learning their lessons in a tidy, unambitious wrap-up.